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14th Annual Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival Brings Music, A Salute to Father’s Day and Family Fun to Olde Gahanna June 15-17 2012

GAHANNA, Ohio – One of the first festivals of the summer season in central Ohio, the 14th annual Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival (CBJF), presented by the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau (GCVB), June 15-17, offers a wide variety of fun for the whole family--more than 100 hours of the best in blues and jazz music on the festival’s five stages, a Sunday jazz salute to Father’s Day; a free, interactive family area, the Musical Discovery Zone, presented by Giant Eagle; the best young, local talent competing in the “Rising Stars” contest and a beautiful waterside park with trails and paddleboats—all within earshot of the music.

The festival has a storied history for bringing locally, regionally and nationally acclaimed blues and jazz musicians to Olde Gahanna. The CBJF continues that tradition with a 2012 line-up that includes Kim Wilson’s Blues All-Stars, featuring 2012 Blues Music Award nominee and Fabulous Thunderbirds singer/harmonica player Kim Wilson, and the 2010 American Smooth Jazz Awards’ “Best New Artist” jazz trumpeter Cindy Bradley performing with Columbus-based Urban Jazz Coalition.

Sean Carney and the Camp Blues Kids will kick off the festival on Friday, June 15, from the Community Stage, presented by Mount Carmel. Carney, winner of the 2007 International Blues Challenge and Albert King Award, has performed at the festival every year since its debut. The Camp Blues Kids (ages 11 and older) are mentored by Carney during Camp Blues, which is held during the week of CBJF. Their “camp experience” culminates with their premiere stage performance at CBJF.

“The Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival has a tradition of bringing nationally and internationally acclaimed talent to central Ohio, but this year, with the bicentennial focus going on in Columbus, we really took a close look at the huge role that our local talent has in making this such an outstanding event,” said Laurie Jadwin, chair, CBJF committee. “We tallied the number of Columbus musicians who are either playing with out-of-town performers or are headliners themselves and discovered that 98 percent of all the entertainment has some type of connection to Columbus—that’s just amazing and wonderful—definitely something to celebrate in 2012!”

BLUES HEADLINERS

• Friday, June 15: The Jimi Vincent Band (JVB). Since 1989, the JVB has played rockin’ blues, performing three times at the International Blues Festival and opening for artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Robert Lockwood Jr, John Lee Hooker, Kenny Neal and many more. Their latest CD, Been There, Done That…Won’t Do That Again, is a mix of originals and singular reworkings of classic blues tunes. JVB fans and everyone who catches the band will be happy that playing the blues isn’t something the JVB “won’t do again.”

• Saturday, June 16: Kim Wilson’s Blues All-Stars. We all sing the blues some times, metaphorically speaking at least, but Kim Wilson’s Blues All-Stars presents the genuine article. Wilson, also lead-singer and harmonica player for the Fabulous Thunderbirds (Tuff Enuff; Wrap It Up), has put together the Blues All-Stars, a six-piece band that will showcase Wilson as a diverse blues virtuoso. A historian of classic blues and, since the late ‘70s, known as one of the world’s top harmonica players, Wilson has been called the modern-day “King of Chicago Blues harmonica.”

• Sunday, June 17: Ray Fuller and the Bluesrockers. Singer-guitarist Ray Fuller, a graduate of Gahanna Lincoln High School, learned from and played with blues giants such as Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. When Fuller sings Who’s Gonna Be Your Sweet Man, one can almost believe he’s channeling the late, great Muddy Waters himself. In fact, after hearing Fuller play the slide guitar, Waters once commented, “That was some hot slide boy! I could smell the smoke backstage!”


JAZZ HEADLINERS

• Friday, June 15: The Tony Monaco Trio. Monaco, a celebrated Hammond B-3 jazz organist, was something of a keyboard prodigy, starting out on the accordion at age 8. By the time he was 12, Monaco had decided on his career as a jazz organist. During his teen years, he played in Columbus jazz clubs, and he continued his rise to prominence under the tutelage of famed local organists Hank Marr and Don Patterson. Today he tours the globe as an internationally renowned organist accomplished in a variety of genres, including blues, funk, jazz and gospel.

• Saturday, June 16: Cindy Bradley and the Urban Jazz Coalition. Plan on grooving with New York City jazz trumpeter Cindy Bradley and Columbus’ jazz septet, the Urban Jazz Coalition. Based in N.Y.C., Bradley has toured the world and released two CDs since 2009: Bloom, a collaboration with Grammy winning producer Michael Broening, and Unscripted, a collection that showcases her stylistic diversity. A virtuoso on the trumpet and flugelhorn, she has won a variety of awards, including “Debut Artist of the Year” (Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival and Smooth Jazz News).

• Sunday, June 17: “Dads”—Father’s Day tribute, with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. The CBJF jazz theme will feature a variety of father-son and father-daughter performances, in a tip of the hat to Father’s Day. Headlining “Dads,” the Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO) will feature premier pianist Bobby Floyd, with his daughter, Bobbi Floyd Townes, on vocals. The CJO will also invite the children of some of the orchestra’s musicians to perform, as well as members of the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra.

• Tony Janflone Sr. and the Tony Janflone Jr. Quartet. A product of the Pittsburgh jazz scene, the father-son team will also help celebrate the day as part of Gahanna’s jazzy salute to Dad. Janflone Sr, in addition to his own reputation as an accomplished guitarist, encourages aspiring musicians through his years of experience as a top instructor of guitar. Janflone’s star pupil, Tony Janflone Jr., has been playing since age 9, with Dad’s guidance and influence apparent in all facets of his music. Tony now enjoys the success he’s achieved and plays with his own group, the Tony Janflone Jr Quartet.

In total, the three-day Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival features more than 100 hours of live music, delicious cuisine, artisans from the region, amusement rides and engaging family activities, plus favorite events including the Rising Stars Contest and the Sunday Jazz Brunch at Mezzo Italian.

Festival attractions and activities will include:

● Musical Discovery Zone (MDZ): The popular “Zone” returns, featuring expanded offerings that include the MDZ Family Stage located within the Musical Discovery Zone, adjacent to the amusements rides, along the south side of Granville Street. Families will continue to enjoy the free, hands-on blues and jazz musical learning experience—beat the bongos, blow the horns, make your own musical instrument and more. Musicians from the Jazz Arts Group and Columbus Blues Alliance will provide children with a personal learning experience with the pros.

● Club Blues: The reserved seating area, adjacent to the Blues Stage, creates the feeling of a blues venue within the bigger festival. Club Blues will have its own private bar and complimentary snacks, shaded seating and restrooms.

● Rising Stars Contest: Aspiring young musicians (age 20 and under) have an opportunity to compete for the title of “Best Rising Star” of the CBJF on June 16. Contest finalists will perform before a panel of judges on the Creekside Community Stage from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The winning musician/group will perform on the MDZ Family Stage later that evening.

● Sunday Jazz Brunch: Back by popular demand, the Sunday Jazz Brunch will be held on June 17 at Mezzo Italian.

● Mini-Midway: Amusement rides including a fun house, giant slide, merry-go-round and rides for children of all ages.

● Paddle Boat Rides: Boaters can enjoy the music as they take a leisurely paddle along a branch of Big Walnut Creek.

● Festival food, artisans and crafters.

During the past 14 years, the Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival has evolved from a half-day event into a three-day family friendly event, with five stages of entertainment—Creekside Community Stage presented by Mount Carmel; Jazz Stage presented by Heartland Bank; Blues Stage programmed by the Columbus Blues Alliance; Acoustic Alley, presented by gridSMART® from AEP Ohio; and the MDZ Family Stage presented by Giant Eagle. The festival location spans the area from Veterans Memorial Park to Creekside Park and Plaza, along Big Walnut Creek and into historic downtown Olde Gahanna.

Festival hours: Friday, June 15 – 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday, June 16 – 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, June 17 – 12-6 p.m. General admission: $4. Children under 12: free admission; Weekend pass: $10, may be pre-purchased or purchased at entry gates, Friday night only.

• Members of the military and their immediate family members: free admission, ID required.

• Free admission on Sunday from 12 -2 p.m. for each person bringing at least one non-perishable food donation for Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

The festival is presented by the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau and is made possible with the support of sponsors and help from a corps of dedicated local volunteers.

• Club Blues seating includes festival admission, reserved seating, private Club Blues Bar, private restrooms and complimentary snacks. Weekend, three-day pass for table of six: $600; weekend individual pass: $150; day pass for Friday evening or Sunday afternoon: $50; and all-day pass for Saturday: $75. For reservations, contact Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau, 614-418-9114

For more information, visit www.creeksidebluesandjazz.com or call the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau at 614-418-9114 or 1-866-GAHANNA